Camp Deltora
by homesweethomicide13
Summary: Lief's parents send him off to a camp for the summer, and he meets some rather unusual friends...  LiefJasmine and BardaLindal in later chapters.
1. Camp Deltora

**Title:** Camp Deltora

**Author:** homesweethomicide13

**Rating:** T

**Pairing:** Lief/Jasmine, Barda/Lindal

**Warning:** Strong language from the beginning

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot. That's all.

**Summary:** Lief's parents send him off to a camp for the summer, and he meets some rather unusual friends…

_Author's Note: all four characters will be incredibly different from the books, very OOC. Also, for the sake of being different, Lindal will **not**__ be bald. Oh, and death-black is my term for blacker than black hair. _

* * *

Chapter 1: Camp Deltora

* * *

Lief glanced around him at the place he was going to be spending his summer. It was large, he gave it that. There was a giant building right in the center of the camp, with a crimson roof that peaked up towards the sky. There were a few kids hanging around by the doors, none of which Lief liked the look of. Far too preppy for his liking. 

To the left of the building were a collection of smaller buildings, each one with a different coloured roof. There was a green, an orange, a purple and a silver roof. To the right was another smaller building, with a dark blue roof. Beside that building was another building of the same size, and Lief gazed at the colour of its roof in wonder. How had they managed to get it all those different colours?

His attention was drawn to the sound of a fast car, and it sped past the spot his parents had parked in, causing Lief's shoulder-length black hair to fly around his face. He vaguely heard his mother mutter disapproving comments about the car, which had pulled into a space not far from where they stood. But his attention had focused upon the tall, dark-haired youth getting out of it. He was dressed in a long leather jacket, and looked the sort of person Lief would get along with. He vowed to introduce himself to this dark lad. He pulled a bag out of the car and stepped back.

"Yes, mother! I'll be fine. Stop worrying goddammit!" He hissed at the people in the front seats. "Yes, I know you worry. No need! I can take care of myself." He stepped back even further. "Go on Dad; show off your flashy new car." With that, the car turned around and sped off once more.

"I'll be back in a moment," Lief said to his parents, and went to walk towards the guy who was now sitting on a low wooden barrier that sectioned off a field.

"Oh no! You're not getting involved with that kid." His father argued, taking Lief by the arm and pulling him back towards them. "He's a terribly bad influence on others. Just look at the way he's dressed." Lief was looking, and found it rather cool. "You're staying with us."

Lief knew it was no use arguing. But hey, they'd be gone soon. He had the whole summer to talk to the kid. He'd just wait until his parents had gone. He leant against the trunk of the car and scowled at them. Just because he was still going to talk to the guy, didn't mean he couldn't let them think he was sulking.

"There are a few things we have to tell you, Lief." His mother said, ignoring the scowl on her son's face. "We don't want you getting into any trouble. That includes mixing with the wrong children," Here she stole a glance at the guy on the fence, "and we don't want you getting involved with any girls." Like they could stop him. "If we get any reports of your behaviour, or even calls home, then we're coming to pick you up straight away and you're grounded."

"I bet he doesn't get grounded." Lief muttered aloud.

"That's because his parents are irresponsible." His father growled. Lief was suddenly angry.

"You don't even know them! You don't like them because they've got more money than you. You're jealous of their car and their lifestyle." He snapped. He didn't know the family either, but he didn't like people who judged others on appearances. "Look, you can go now. I don't need you to wait with me. I'm not a baby."

"You act like one." His father muttered. He reached into the trunk and pulled out Lief's bags. Then, with hurried goodbyes, they left the camp car park. Instantly Lief walked over to the guy sat on the fence. He approached slowly, not knowing quite how to start off a conversation with someone he'd never met before.

"Hey." He said dumbly. The guy looked up, regarded Lief with kohl-rimmed blue eyes, and smirked.

"Great. Someone I might get along with." He laughed. Lief was surprised at the depth of his voice. He looked over at the other kids and grimaced. "Dumb preps. I hate 'em."

"I'm Lief." He held out his hand, and the guy shook it. The handshake felt strange, as not only were the guy's hands twice the size of Lief's, but they were covered with leather fingerless gloves, with metal plates on the backs.

"Barda." Lief sat down next to him, dumping his bags onto the floor. "How old are you then, twelve?" He teased. Normally, Lief would have hit anyone who mentioned his height, or lack of in his case. But there was something about Barda that he liked. Or maybe it was because Barda was more than twice his size and would no doubt pummel him into the ground if he hit him. So he just laughed casually and flicked his long hair out of his face. He figured that Barda was at least seventeen, if not older, and if that was the case, then he wasn't that much younger than the tall guy.

"Sixteen, actually. I just haven't grown fully yet." He grinned. "What about you?"

"Nineteen." Lief hid his surprise. Then he looked over Barda properly. He was definitely very tall – judging from the way his legs stretched out so far. He had incredibly long hair – past his shoulders – and it was death-black, with blood red streaks. The teen had a clear fondness for kohl eyeliner, as his eyes were so thickly rimmed with it that Lief couldn't tell where kohl ended and eyelashes started. The leather jacket concealed most of the shirt underneath, and was aided by several chains and pendants around his neck, but Lief could make out a black shirt striped with red. He was wearing baggy black jeans, which covered most, if not all, of his large black boots.

Lief looked over himself and sighed. He must look like nothing next to Barda. His faded blue jeans and plain red shirt looked simple compared to the complicated arrangement of Barda's attire.

He was about to start up a new conversation when Barda's eyes locked on something behind him. Slowly, Lief turned around.

Getting out of a car were two girls – one taller than the other by quite a way. Both had long dark hair, and dressed in a similar way to Barda. The taller girl turned sharply, her hair flicking around her face, and she grinned at the other girl, who tossed her head back in a laugh. Lief could only think 'whoa' when he saw that smaller girl's face.

"Damn." Barda gasped, his eyes fixed on the taller girl. Lief glanced quickly at the teen, and smirked. Barda had clearly taken a liking to that girl. "Lief, we have _got_ to introduce ourselves. Come on, let's go." Lief swung one bag up onto his shoulder and heaved up the other, standing up as he did so. Barda hitched his single bag – Lief did not know how he was going to go all summer with just that one bag – up onto his shoulder, and then stood up. If Lief thought he had been tall from afar, it was nothing to how tall he was when you were right next to him. Lief's neck strained as he looked up at Barda's face.

"You're just going to walk over there?" Lief questioned as they began walking towards the girls.

"Yup." Barda grinned, showing Lief rather pointed canines. He shuddered. He was sure that canines were not meant to be _that_ sharp. They made it quickly to the girls' car, mainly because Barda took huge strides and Lief had to half-jog, half-stumble to keep up with him. The smaller girl saw them first, and motioned to the taller girl, who Lief assumed was her sister. They both turned to them and smiled.

"Hey there, something up?" The tall girl asked them.

"Nah, just wanted to say hey. Before you get taken off with those preppy idiots over there," Barda replied, jabbing a finger in the direction of the offending teens. She laughed, and her sister did too. "The name's Barda, and this is Lief, a friend of mine."

"Lindal. This is Jasmine, my cousin." The tall girl grinned, waving a hand in the other girl's direction. "So, who are you boys sharing a cabin with?" Lief was confused. He thought they all slept in one room.

"No idea." Barda was replying. "Probably Lief. Still got two places left though, if you want to join us."

"That'd be great." Jasmine grinned. "No preps for us!" She noticed Lief's odd silence and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have something wrong with your tongue?" She asked him.

"What? N-no." Lief stammered.

"Then talk!" Jasmine laughed, and he couldn't help but grin. _God she's wonderful…_

"Uh oh, looks like we're being rounded up." Lindal pointed behind the boys to the large building with the crimson roof, where adults dressed in grey uniforms were gathering the other teens around them. "Come on, let's join them. You never know, maybe they're picking out the idiots for slaughter."

Barda smirked as he walked beside Lindal. This was going to be one heck of a summer…


	2. Intimate Introductions

Chapter 2: Intimate Introductions

* * *

Lief stood awkwardly beside Barda as they were instructed on what the camp was about. They were told about the several different buildings – the building they were stood in front of, with the crimson roof, was the communal hall, where they would have their meals, discuss the events of the day and have various talks about other important matters. The building to the right – with the blue sparkly roof – was the sleeping quarters for the camp supervisors. The other building – with the roof of many colours – was the games room. The four smaller buildings were their sleeping quarters. 

"Now, from past experience, we know that allowing you to choose your roommates can cause disaster. And so, we have made a list of the kids that are to sleep in each building." The head supervisor said loudly, ignoring the disappointed groans of the teenagers in front of him. "In Diamond, we have Marilen Toran, Ranesh Green, Josef Richmond and Zeean Miller." The four of them grouped together. "In Topaz, we have Jarred Hill, Anna Forge, Endon King and Sharn Noble." Again, the four stood together. "In Emerald, we have Steven Plains, Gers Jalis, Ava Smith and Joanna Strong." Lief stole a glance at Barda, who was once again smirking. That left only the four of them together. "And last of all, in Amethyst, we have Lindal Broome, Jasmine Forrest, Lief Royale and Barda Leordo." A surprised gasp came from some of the other teenagers at the mention of Barda's name, but Lief thought nothing of it. The name meant nothing to him, though he did have a strange feeling that he'd heard it somewhere before. "Go and take your bags into your rooms and then meet back here by 6pm."

All at once, the sixteen kids ran off towards the buildings in their little groups. Lief, Barda, Jasmine and Lindal walked at a steady pace, ignoring the others as they laughed and shrieked around the camp. Barda led them straight to the building with the purple roof, and they paused in front of the door. The building was entirely white apart from the purple roof, purple shutters on the windows, and the large purple word upon the plague on the door.

Amethyst.

Barda swung open the door and they stepped inside. Two bunk beds were placed inside the room, painted white with purple sheets. The walls were purple, the floor was covered with soft purple carpet and the ceiling was white. The white door at the far end led to a small bathroom, Lief found on inspection, with a shower in the corner. He went back into the main room to see Jasmine placing her clothes into a white and purple striped wardrobe at one end of the bunk beds. Lindal was doing the same with another striped wardrobe on the other end. At a glance at the other bed, he noticed that there were also two wardrobes on that side, either end of the bed.

"Top or bottom Lief?"(1) Barda asked him, leaning on the wooden frame of the bed. Lief pondered for a moment.

"Top, if you don't mind." He answered. Barda smirked again.

"Sure, go for it. You'll be opposite Jasmine then." Lief turned around and saw that Jasmine was arranging a few possessions up on the top bed. They were two stuffed cuddly animals and a dagger ornament. She placed the ornament on the simple shelf on the wall beside her bed. The two animals she placed beside her pillow. One was a black bird, and the other was a small furry mass of grey. She turned and met his eyes.

"I don't care what anyone says, I have to have them with me. The bird is Kree, and this little guy is Filli. They go everywhere with me. My father bought them for me when I was younger." She explained. Lief smiled, remembering the small stuffed creature in one of his bags, hidden from sight but still accessible. He couldn't leave his Monty at home, but he wasn't about to put him on show, especially not around someone like Barda. (2)

"Jasmine's always been like that with those two. When she was younger she used to talk to them and pretend that they could talk back." Lindal grinned. Jasmine reached over her bed and playfully pushed at her older cousin, also laughing.

"And Lindal's always tried to embarrass me in front of boys." Jasmine grinned. "But it never works after I tell them she used to be afraid of large birds."(3) Lief laughed along with the two of them, sitting down on his bed.

"So, like… do you live together or what?" He asked them.

"We never used to. But we were never far from each other. My mother was very strongly attached to her brother, and so they bought houses close together. Then when my Aunt died, as did my father, my Uncle and Lindal moved into our house." Jasmine told him, her face slightly saddened. "The two of them died in a car crash one night."

"I'm sorry." Lief muttered, not sure of what to say. "So… why are you here then?" He knew that the camp only accepted certain teenagers, and wondered why they had been accepted.

"Well ever since the deaths Jasmine and I have become rather… unruly. We kept getting into trouble with authorities and so my father and Jasmine's mother sent us here in the hope that it would discipline us enough to stop us getting into trouble again." Lindal explained. "What about you?"

"My parents are always really busy and recently I've been 'getting in their way', so they sent me here for the summer." Lief shrugged. "I guess they didn't like the late-night parties or the loud music."

"And you, Barda?" Jasmine said quickly. "Why are you here?" Lief saw the sparkle in each of the girls' eyes, and wondered what was up.

"Because my parents don't care." Came the response. "I don't cause them trouble, they don't care if I'm involved with the authorities, they don't care about my parties or my music. They don't care about how I dress, how I act." Barda's voice was building up with anger. "They just let me do whatever the hell I want, and it was driving me crazy. I couldn't bear another long summer doing what I wanted to do without having the thrill or the danger of being caught, being yelled at, being disciplined like normal parents do when their kid is in trouble, or has done something they shouldn't have." He stood up from his bed and crossed the room impatiently. "Hell, I even let them walk in upon a satanic ritual and I let them watch me drink human blood to try and get their attention and they didn't do anything. They just asked me if I needed more money to fund my religious ways." He turned back to them. "People think I have it all. People think that just because my parents are rich and I get everything I ever wanted, I'm the luckiest kid in the world. Well, I'm not. Money can buy anything I want, sure. But it can't buy attention from my parents." He paused and ran a hand through his fringe. "My mother only gives me any attention when I'm going somewhere, but it's still not enough. I want her to warn me not to get into trouble, I want her to show that she cares what time I come home, that she cares how much money I spend. Earlier today was possibly the only time she actually told me she was worried about what I was going to do at the camp." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and scowled at the floor. "You know, sometimes I wish I wasn't my father's son."

"Who's your father?" Lief asked. All three of them looked at him as though he had asked the dumbest question in the world. He just stared back at them in confusion. The feeling that he had heard Barda's surname somewhere before came back to him.

"Sir David Leordo." Lief froze. That was where he'd heard the name before. Sir David Leordo was the richest man in the country, and one of the richest men in the world. Now Lief remembered some of the stories he'd heard. He remembered hearing about an interview with Sir David, in which he was asked about the strange antics of his only son. He remembered that Sir David had responded with a careless shrug and merely stated that what his son did was no business of theirs. "Finally sunk in has it?" Lief looked over at Barda who was once again leaning upon the framework of the bed, a casual smirk on his face.

"Uh, yeah… so you're like, a rich kid?" _That explains the flashy car._

"You could call me that, I guess." Barda's smirk widened into a grin. "I'm probably the richest kid here."

* * *

They had talked for another few hours, choosing not to go to the games room like all the other kids had. They'd delved into each other's lives to get to know each other more, and had found that although they all came from different backgrounds, they were very much alike and had tons in common. 6pm had come around rather quickly, and they almost had to run to get to the communal hall in time. 

The evening meal was pretty uneventful. The tables were full of the kids and supervisors, and some other men that were dressed in pale blue uniforms. Barda, who knew more about the camp than the others, explained that they were the more experienced, camp activity supervisors. At the end of the meal, a guy dressed in an ocean blue uniform stepped up onto a small stage at the far end of the room and called for silence.

"I am Ashton, the head supervisor of this camp. We are going to end this day without an activity I'm afraid; however tomorrow morning we will start the first activity. As you may have guessed, the men and women dressed in the grey uniforms are the adults who will be looking after you throughout your free periods. The men and few women in the pale blue uniforms are the adults who will watch over you throughout activities. If you fail to abide by their rules there will be consequences. You have the rest of this evening to do as you feel, however you must be in your quarters by 9pm, and lights out is at 10pm. This gives you an hour to prepare for bed, perhaps have a shower or something likewise. The waking bell is at 7am, and breakfast will be served at 8am. Again, this is so you can prepare for the day ahead. There is a notice board just inside the door to this building, where we will post information on the days ahead so you can know what it is we will be doing on what day. I advise you to keep checking it."

They were dismissed, and they left the room quickly. Lief knew they seemed antisocial to everyone else, but he didn't care. Jasmine stepped up beside him and nudged him with her elbow.

"What?" He asked her. She grinned at him.

"I think Lindal's in love." Lief's eyes widened and Jasmine nodded her head to their left. Slowly, he turned and looked. Barda was striding along not far ahead, and Lindal was walking beside him, her arm almost linked with Barda's. They were deep in conversation, and Lindal would laugh every so often. "Doesn't surprise me, actually. Barda is a bit of a looker, if you know what I mean." She winked at him playfully. Lief felt a sudden surge of jealously. Why couldn't he be like Barda? Smart, funny, good-looking… not to mention rich. It was a wonder that the rest of the girls in the camp weren't all over him!

They returned to their cabin and Lief threw himself up onto his bed, falling back against the purple pillow. Jasmine copied his action, but lay on her side, watching him. Barda wandered into the small bathroom. A moment later he returned, minus his jacket and shirt. Lief's eyes widened. If he was a girl he knew he'd be drooling right now… but that wasn't the only thing. He could now properly see just how long Barda's hair was. The jacket had concealed most of its length due to the colour, but now, against skin, it was clear. The very tips of his hair just brushed the waistline of his jeans. Lief fingered his own shoulder-length hair self-consciously. It had taken him four months to grow it this long. He didn't want to even think about how long it had taken Barda's hair to grow that long.

"Whoa… I never knew your hair was that long, Barda." Jasmine spoke Lief's thoughts aloud. Barda just grinned at them.

"Took me a year, this did. I was hoping my dad would tell me to cut it, y'know… again with the wanting attention from him, but… he merely said to me that when he was my age, he was a rocker too and grew his hair long." Barda rolled his eyes. "I sometimes really wish I was a normal kid."

"Well, I like it like that." Lindal said, grinning up at him from her bed. "If you ever cut it I'll hunt you down and kill you."

And the thing that worried Barda the most, was the fact that he knew she was deadly serious.

* * *

_Author's Note: _

_(1) When I typed that line, I couldn't help but think it sounds rather... suggestive. It gave me temptation to insert some BardaLief slash, but I held back... for now._

_(2) When Lief says this he means he doesn't want Barda to think he's stupid or whatever, not that Barda's mean or something._

_(3) Lindal's fear of 'large birds' came from her attitude towards dragons in the third series._


	3. Assault Course For The Mentally Insane:1

_Note: This is where the bad language starts... be warned :) (Nothing huge... just casual remarks that I'm sure just about everyone makes... at some point.)_

Chapter 3: Assault Course For The Mentally Insane 1.

Lief awoke the next morning to the sound of laughing. He blinked groggily and sat up in bed, the covers falling down off his half-dressed form. Jasmine was still in bed, but she was lying on her stomach, grinning from ear-to-ear. He lowered his gaze and saw that Lindal was in a similar position, except she was the one laughing. He twisted his body around to the spot they were both gazing at, and abruptly laughed aloud. They both looked at him, having not realized he had woken up, and all three exchanged grins.

"Yeah, alright. Joke's over guys." Barda drawled from the bathroom door. He was standing there in all his glory, the light from the bathroom surrounding him with an angelic glow that really didn't suit him, dressed only in a pair of pink boxer shorts. They weren't even a subtle pink. They were luminous. By the looks of things, Lief figured he'd been the first up. Either that, or the two girls had woken up, and the moment Barda slipped out of bed… well, it was obvious what had happened the moment the girls had set eyes on his delightful choice of underwear.

Lief couldn't hold back the laughter. He just had to get it out of his system. Barda glared at him with all his might, but it wasn't as affective as he would have liked, considering what Lief was actually laughing about. Giving up, he rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the constant sniggers directed his way. He turned back into the bathroom and they watched him pull a pair of baggy black pants – with chains and spikes in seemingly random places – over the boxers. He then pulled on a dark red dress shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to the elbows, leaving it undone, and returned to the doorway.

"Is that better?" He asked them. Lief finally took in the fact that he had obviously just finished a shower – his wet hair was a big hint, but he _had_ just woken up, after all. He was still bathed in light, the red streaks standing out brightly amongst the darkness.

"You look like an angel with that light behind you. It looks like a halo." Lindal laughed. Lief realized that from her position, the light fitting would be directly over Barda's head, giving the impression that he was sporting a halo. Grinning, Barda spread his arms to the sides, in a pose one would normally relate to vampires or other dark, winged creatures.

"An angel of death, maybe." Jasmine laughed, getting out of bed and pushing past Barda to get into the bathroom. "Shove over, Loki." (1) She grinned, pushing him out of the doorway and closing the door on him.

"He-ey! I wasn't finished!" He complained to the white wood. "I still have to put my eyeliner on!"(2)

"You are such a girl." Lindal teased, also getting out of bed. Lief decided he might as well do the same.

"Does anyone have the time?" He asked no one in particular. Lindal cocked an eyebrow at him.

"There's a clock right behind you." She stated. Lief turned and saw that there was indeed a clock behind him. Cursing himself for sounding stupid, he noted the time. 7:32am.

"I guess I was the last to wake up, huh?" He asked them with a grin. Lindal was gathering up clothes to change into once Jasmine was done in the bathroom, and Barda was pounding on the bathroom door, telling Jasmine that if she didn't get out of the bathroom soon, he'd rain sulphur onto her.

"Yep. Barda was first, and then Jasmine. She woke me up when she saw Barda's wonderful underwear," this earned her a glare from said teen, "and I assume we both woke you up."

"Yeah. I just gotta say, Barda…" Lief smirked. "Nice underwear." Barda turned and glared at him. Jasmine opened the bathroom door quietly, and Lindal slipped in while Barda's back was turned. He spun around just as the door closed loudly behind him.

"Dammit!" He hissed. "That's it… you're all gonna feel my wrath. I warn you… sulphur burns." He growled, sitting on the floor in front of the bathroom door, with his arms folded across his chest, resembling a sulking child. Lief looked over Jasmine and smiled. She was dressed in a simple pale green shirt with a black bird on the front, semi-tight black jeans that flared at the bottom, and black and white Chuck Taylor's. She looked nice, he concluded.

Lindal had to dodge a tall mass of black and red as Barda shot past her into the bathroom the second she opened the door. Laughing, she dumped her nightclothes onto her messed-up bed and leant against her and Jasmine's bunk beds. Lief figured that he was not going to be ready in time if he waited for Barda to emerge, and so decided that he would wait until that evening to have his shower. He picked out a pair of blue jeans with rips in the knees and a grey shirt with a skull and crossbones on it. He knew it was a pretty lame shirt, but he'd only brought stuff he didn't mind wrecking, and thus he came to be wearing it. Dragging a comb through his tangled mass of hair, he attempted to tame it, to no avail. He briefly wondered how large a task Barda had each morning with his super-long hair.

The bathroom lock slid back, and the door was flung open, revealing Barda, eyes now rimmed with kohl, and looking more at ease. He had tied his long hair back into the longest pony tail Lief had ever seen, making him seem both younger and older at the same time. Confused, Lief shook his head to clear it.

"What's with the pony tail?" Jasmine asked him with a smile. Barda grinned.

"You have quite long hair. You should understand." He reached around and took ahold of the long tail of hair. He twisted it in both hands, and water rained down onto the floor. "It takes forever to dry." He flicked his head to one side, whipping the ponytail back over his shoulder. Because it was so long, the tip came around and smacked him in the face. He scowled. "I hate it when it does that." Lindal laughed and playfully shoved him.

"Come on, let's make a move to the communal hall." Barda took a moment to pull on his heavy, steel-clad boots and his metal-plated gloves before he followed them out of the cabin door. It seemed to Lief that everyone had already gone, as there was no one around, except for a few supervisors. They made it to the hall just after 8, and found that everyone had already started their breakfast. Tagging onto the lessening queue, they avoided the curious stares of the other teenagers.

Breakfast was pretty uneventful, although Lief was itching to start a food fight. However he heeded his parents' warnings. He did _not_ want to be sent home now. Not until he'd at least kissed Jasmine. Or even got her number. And so he kept one hand under the table while he ate his strange combination of 'potato smiles', beans and sausages.(3) Barda raised an eyebrow as he skewered one of the 'smiles' on his fork.

"And they say rock music is morbid?" He said in a bored tone. "These things are just… unrealistic. I mean, who'd be smiling after being fried for thirty minutes, set on a plate and counting down the seconds until they're eaten?" Lief burst out laughing, but due to the mouthful of food he had been chewing, he began to choke. All eyes turned to their table with amused expressions as Lief picked up his orange juice and drank it all in one in an attempt to dislodge the food from his windpipe. Jasmine gave him a comforting pat on the back as he regained control of his breathing, and smiled. Lindal shot him an amused grin before going back to her task of arranging the beans into the word 'Fuck'.

"Everyone is still staring at us." Lief whispered. Barda smirked evilly.

"Then let's give them something to stare at." And before Lief knew what was happening, Barda had grabbed him by the shirt and had forced his lips onto his. Jasmine and Lindal gaped at them, eyes wide. After a moment, Barda slouched back in his seat, acting as though he had not just kissed Lief. (4). Lief, still shocked, did nothing. Barda smirked again. "Now, tell me if anyone's still staring." Jasmine snapped out of her surprise and looked around.

"No. They all seem to be busy with their own conversations again." She told them.

"Knew it. Always works." Three pairs of eyes regarded him with surprise.

"You've done that before?" Lief asked him. Barda grinned.

"Many times. In the street, in a store, at school…" He counted off the various places on his fingers, raising his eyes skyward in thought. "Ah yes, my principal sure was surprised. I doubt she ever got over that. It's not every day that two boys who you are supposed to be disciplining start making out right in front of you. Worked like a charm though, got out of the trouble we were in." He turned to Lief with a serious expression on his face. "Be prepared for rumours, though. Everyone saw it, so the word will go round that we're gay or something… and if anyone stares, be prepared for round two." He winked suggestively at Lief before laughing at the disturbed expression on the younger boy's face. He was about to respond when Ashton called for their attention.

"Now that you're all here, I thought I'd tell you what we are going to be doing today." He paused while a few people stopped talking. "I figured since it's only the first day that most of you forgot to check the notice board, but that doesn't matter. This morning, and for most of the day, you will be doing the assault course." A wave of whispered 'yes's echoed round the room. Ashton once again waited for silence. "But I must warn you. This is no easy assault course. It's terribly hard in several spots, and you are most likely going to stop from exhaustion before you reach the end. I also advise that you wear something you don't mind getting destroyed, as this is likely. So people like you, Master Leordo, should change out of those expensive clothes." Barda scowled at the table.

"Barda. My name is Barda." He hissed. All eyes turned to him, but suddenly averted themselves when the owners remembered what had happened the last time they had stared in his direction. Ashton, completely unaware of the rich boy's annoyance, continued.

"After dinner you will be doing the night orienteering. I will explain the details of this to you at dinner. For now, finish your breakfast and, if you need to change, do so." With that, he stepped down off the small stage and walked over to blue-clad supervisors, talking with them animatedly. Barda sent a glare in his direction.

"Expensive clothes? These didn't cost shit!" He growled. "I have like, seven of these shirts, two of which I brought with me." Lindal laughed.

"Aye, but he doesn't know that, does he Master Leordo?" Although he had managed perfectly fine to glare at Ashton for calling him that, he couldn't bring himself to glare at Lindal, and even laughed slightly. Dirty thoughts swam through his head, but he forced them back. _No Barda… don't screw it up with this one…__**hehe, screw**__… GAH shut up dammit! Damn dirty mind…__**Oh you know you love it…**_

While he was having a battle with his mind, Jasmine was clearing up their emptied plates, stacking them neatly at the end of their table. He shook his head to rid himself of his perverted alter ego – who was lying in wait for the next victim to come along, no gender specified – and stood up, trying to distract himself by glaring at his shoes. As they left the hall, all the eyes were on them again. Barda slung an arm around Lief's shoulders, turned, and winked at them all, giving them a thumbs up. Once again, all eyes were sharply averted.

_**Seems like you're having fun, Barda…**__ Shut. Up. __**Hehe, poor Lief… he doesn't know what he's getting himself into, does he? **__I hate you. I really do…__**You like me really. You just don't want to admit it.**_"Goddammit! Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything," Lief replied, confused. Barda blinked in surprise.

"Uh… I wasn't meant to say that out loud…" He realized his arm was still around Lief's shoulders and quickly removed it, dropping it to his side, fist clenched. _Think straight thoughts, think straight thoughts…_

* * *

"You must wear these at all times throughout the assault course. They mark out which team you come from. Your teams will be the groups you were put in for cabins." One of the supervisors explained, holding up four sashes, one gold, one green, one purple and one silver. "Please form an orderly line and collect the sash of your team colour." 

"This is lame. Purple and red do _not_ look good together." Barda complained as they joined the line. Lief laughed casually. Barda really did act like a girl at times. Only girls worry about what colours match, right?(5). The supervisor handing out the sashes was a young woman, one of the only women Lief had seen in a blue uniform. It seemed that women were not common as activity supervisors. She handed Lief his sash without a second glance, however when Barda stepped up a blush rose on her pale cheeks. He gave her his best bored look. "Purple." Blushing madly, she picked up a purple sash and handed it to him.

"H-here you go, M-master Leordo." Taking it from her, he nodded briefly and walked over to his three friends, all sporting purple sashes.

"This is why I hate public events." He murmured to them when he reached them. "All the squealing, blushing girls who only want me for my face and my money." He slipped the sash over his head, fixing it over one shoulder and tucking it beneath the collar of his shirt to avoid it catching on his neck and irritating him.

"Ah, I'm sure there's _someone_ who wants you for you." Lindal smiled, smoothing out his sash. He grinned at her, getting the hidden message but trying not to show just how much he liked it.

"Doesn't necessarily have to be female, either." Jasmine laughed, nudging Lief in the ribs jokingly. "Isn't that right Lief?" He scowled at her, but couldn't help but laugh. Lindal and Barda joined in, and after a moment Barda shrugged.

"Male, female… all the same to me. I don't care." He paused. "As long as I'm always on top…" All four laughed again. Despite his uneasiness around even the slightest hint of homosexuality, Lief felt at ease around Barda, no matter what the older teen said. It wasn't that he hated homosexuals, or bisexuals… he just felt as though they were always checking him out, and while comforting in one mind, it was also disturbing in another. Yet with Barda he didn't get that. Maybe because any guy would be Barda's 'bitch' if he asked them to. Hell, even Jasmine seemed to admire him. Not as much as Lindal, granted but… there was still something there.

And he was jealous. Mildly…

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_(1) I just finished watching the film 'Dogma' for like, the tenth time, and I just had to fit Loki, Angel of Death in there... Barda makes a better Loki than the guy who played him (Matt Damon I believe...)_

_(2) Funny story behind this line. Random sugar-influenced crazy skit that me and my friends did (we dressed up like how we thought the characters of DQ would look, I was Barda, my mate Jeff was Doom...). It basically involved lots of randomness, such as Lief skipping through a field of flowers towards Jasmine (classic cliche romance scene) and then Jasmine punching him... and for some reason Barda and Doom were going to a dance and Barda was dressed like a girl (skirt and everything. First time I've worn a skirt in public I believe...) and before they could leave, Barda runs back into the house yelling 'Wait, wait! I still have to put my eyeliner on!'. Looking back, it was so hilarious (and it fits with Barda here, cause of the whole 'goth' look) that I had to add it in._

_(3) I went to a camp recently and this is what they served at breakfast. Every day. I've been to the same place twice before, and they've served that for breakfast every time I've been there._

_(4) Don't kill me! I had to put it in! If I didn't put even a little BardaLief slashy goodness it would have ripped me apart from the inside and killed me xx. You don't want me to die, right? -glares at anyone who says yes- _

_(5) No, Lief. Boys do it too. My three best MALE friends (Jeff, Ollie and Craig... Craig especially) always panic when something doesn't match, or doesn't 'go'. And by the looks of things... so does Barda :P. Hehe._


	4. Assault Course For The Mentally Insane:2

**_This is dedicated to all my consistent reviewers!_**

**Chapter 4: Assault Course For The Mentally Insane 2**

* * *

Lief stared ahead of him in amazement and horror at the size of the assault course in front of him. And this was only the part that he could see – the course led off into the trees beyond, and out of sight. In front of him was a large metal frame with barbed wire over the very top. Looking at it, he wondered how the hell you were supposed to get over it. Beside him, Barda swore. Clearly even he was thrown by the size of the task. A blue-clad man stepped up in front of them. 

"As you can see, this is the assault course. Now, we don't expect you to all start at the same time. In fact, only two can go at once, so please organize yourselves into pairs, with one male and one female in each pair. You may only pair up with someone from your team." He called out. There was a dull roar as pairs were created. As Lief had hoped, Jasmine stepped up beside him and he smiled at her. Behind them, Barda and Lindal towered. Lindal could feel several pairs of eyes on her back, and knew the other girls were glaring her at. Smirking, she raised her right hand, balled into a fist, and lifted her middle finger. There were several hushed gasps of surprise. "Now, as there are a lot of you, this assault course was designed in a certain way. In four different spots, there are four different starting points. This is one of them. They are all named, usually after the type of obstacles it contains. Each starting point will be assigned to a certain team, at random."

Another man dressed in blue walked over to him.

"I am Davie, the head supervisor for this activity." He announced, as if any of the teenagers would care. "I guess I should tell you the names of the starting points before we assign the groups." He smirked at them, almost cruelly. "They all meet in the middle, surrounding a giant tower. At the foot of that tower, there will be four men – one facing each assault course. Only once all four of your team members have reached one of those men can you claim victory. If one of your team cannot go on, you fail the test."

"I thought this was a task, not a test." Jasmine muttered to Lief. "By the sounds of things, this is going to be a struggle. Most of these kids won't even make it to the tower."

"The starting point opposite this one is called Snake Pit. Don't worry, there aren't any snakes, but you'll understand the name's meaning if you are assigned to it." Davie went on. "The starting point located to the left of here is called Dungeon. The point to the right is called Old Rocky, and this point…" Here he smirked again, and this time the cruelty was very evident, "… is called Death Trap."

If there had been any whisperings throughout his speech, there was silence now. Everyone was looking at the assault course ahead of them with awe and horror, wondering what was in it for it to be named Death Trap. All eyes returned to Davie as he continued.

"Myself and the other supervisors will now select the teams at random." He walked over to a group of supervisors and they began talking. One of them put his hand into a black velvet bag and pulled out a green stone. This happened three more times – the same guy pulling out a gold stone, a silver stone, and last of all a purple stone. Smirking, Davie returned to the front of the group. "The teams have been selected, purely at random. Emerald," the members of Emerald perked up, "you will be at Snake Pit. Please follow the supervisors with green headbands to your starting point." He waited until they were standing with their supervisors before he went on. "Topaz. You will start at Dungeon. Again, please follow your supervisors to the starting point. Diamond, you will be at Old Rocky." Lief tuned out his voice as it sank in. They would be taking Death Trap. He glanced ahead of him and swallowed hard. "Amethyst." He snapped to attention. Davie turned to them, his eyes glinting maliciously. "You will take Death Trap."

All four of them knew everyone was staring at them, but this time Barda made no move to stop them. His ocean eyes were staring past Davie, to the jumble of obstacles that would eventually take them to the center. He was analysing how quickly it would take them, if they didn't stop at all. He was vaguely aware that four supervisors had approached them, and were telling them something. Davie had disappeared.

"… and you must make sure you all get to the center. If one of you is too hurt to continue, use this flare gun to tell us. It has a purple spark, so we will know it is you." One of them, a man with long blonde hair, was saying. "We will be positioned in several key points along the course, for encouragement and safety regulations." Another of them, a woman, shuffled nervously.

"This course is a difficult one – the hardest. Do not push yourselves to continue if you cannot bear it. You will be praised no matter how far you get. Death Trap has been known to –," The man with the blonde hair silence her quickly with a sharp jab in the ribs, and she turned away. Barda narrowed his eyes. What was Death Trap known to do? And why had he shut her up?

If he wanted answers to those questions, they would have to wait. A loud signal rang out from somewhere in the forest, and the supervisors disappeared into the forests, telling them to start at the second signal.

"This is ridiculous. There's no way we can do this!" Lief said at last. Barda spat harshly on the floor.

"Selected by random, my ass. That Davie guy hated the look of us. I saw the way he looked at me. He fixed this." Barda's fists clenched. "Well, I'll show him. I'll show them all that I'm not some spoilt rich brat. I'll finish this assault course even if it kills me!"

The second signal rang out and he leapt upon the framework in front of him. Shaking her head in dismay, Lindal stepped up, ready to climb beside him. But before she had even taken a step onto the frame, a hiss of pain came from the top. Barda had one leg on each side of the frame, but he was stuck. The barbed wire had caught on his jeans either side, and one arm was tangled in the razor-sharp coils. Quickly, all three of them climbed up to help him.

"No! Stop. You're just going to get stuck, like me. There's nowhere to put your hands to climb over. I don't think you're supposed to." He glanced around him, and his eyes locked onto some metal rings on the underside of the frame. Thoughts buzzing in his head, he turned and looked onto the side he was attempting to climb down. There was a large rectangular gap. He turned back to the three waiting below, halfway up the frame. "Go underneath it! There are metal rings for you to hold on to, and there's a gap on the other side. Do it, now!" Nodding, Lindal crept around the frame and slipped underneath it. Lief and Jasmine waited, wondering if they should follow.

Lindal could see the gap Barda had mentioned. She edged towards it, climbing slowly underneath the framework. There was a huge pit full of dark, murky water underneath it, and she did not relish falling in. Frowning, she realized that if she wanted to go through it, she'd have to go headfirst. There was no way she could manage any other way. Hooking her feet firmly into the rings, she reached out for the bottom of the gap. She grasped it tightly and edged her way forward. When she had her head and shoulders through it, she unhooked her feet and crawled through.

"I'm through! It worked! Lief, Jasmine, you have to go headfirst. It's the only way." Lief and Jasmine exchanged glances, nodded once, and followed Lindal. When all three were stood the other side of the frame, Barda grinned.

"I'll be with you in a moment." He tugged forcefully and his right leg came free from the wire with a loud tearing noise. He swung his leg over and balanced on the framework. There was a huge rip in his pants, and the wire had cut his leg open. Balancing precariously on the framework with just his feet, he took hold of his right arm with his left hand and pulled. His face contorted in pain as his arm came free, slashed up and dripping blood. Flexing his fingers, he turned to face them and jumped, landing on his feet beside them. However it had been quite a jump, and his legs buckled, causing him to fall to his knees. "Okay, ouch. Don't do that again." He stood up and brushed himself off, trying to ignore the stinging pain in both his right leg and right arm. "Well, I think we've all learnt a lesson. Don't just rush into something. Stand and think it over. If we just rush in like I did, we'll get nowhere. This thing may be called Death Trap, but if we use our heads, we can beat it."

Lief, Jasmine, and Lindal nodded, now all as determined as Barda was. They were going to beat this course. They were going to finish it.

And they were going to win.

* * *

With a strip of his pants tied around his throbbing wrist, Barda hoisted himself up onto the obstacle they had come to. Only ten minutes had passed since they began, and already all of them were beaten and bruised. He had several nasty slashes on his face from a particularly nasty obstacle, and his arms wee criss-crossed with injuries. A dark bruise was already forming on his forehead. And yet still he continued. 

The obstacle they had to overcome was a large, raised metal bar over a pit of what looked like mud, but could be guaranteed not to be. The bar stretched from one giant tree, to another some few yards away. They'd had to climb up into the tree to reach it, courtesy of a metal-rung ladder moulded into the tree's trunk. Walking along it was plain suicide, and so they had decided to best way to go across was upside down, crossing your legs over the bar and holding on with your hands. And so here Barda was, hanging upside down over a pit of muck, holding on for his life.

"Alright Barda, you can do it! Just… don't think about it." Lief called to him from the tree. They had also decided that, for safety, they would cross one at a time. Barda nodded briefly and began to make his way across. He lifted his left hand and moved it over his right, gripping the bar tightly. Then he unhooked his left leg and swung it over his right, hooking it once again by his ankle. The steel on his boots clashed hard with the metal bar, vibrating the entire thing and causing a sharp 'clang' that hurt his ears. But he didn't stop. He kept going, painfully slow, until he reached the tree on the other side. Holding tightly with his hands, he unhooked his legs and swung back, planting them firmly in the groove of the tree. Once he was positioned firmly, he beckoned for the next to follow.

They had thought ahead. Barda would go first, as he was the tallest and would find it easiest to get into the tree at the other side. Then the girls would go next, and Barda would help them into the tree. And then Lief would go last, as he was possibly the shortest, and would find it hardest to make it into the tree alone. And so Lindal copied Barda's motions, edging slowly along the bar. She couldn't help but think that they looked like pirates escaping a ship (1). She reached the other tree and, instructed by Barda, let her legs fall from the bar. A pair of warm hands grasped hold of her waist and she smiled as Barda guided her legs down to the tree. She turned the moment she felt the tree against her feet, but as she wasn't steady, she stumbled – right into Barda's arms. They stood there for a moment; bodies pressed tightly together, a slight blush on Barda's face.

_He's cute when he blushes…_Lindal thought, smiling up at him. She tilted her head slightly, and he leant down. She felt his warm breath against her cheek, and her heart began to beat faster. Barda leant down further, his lips almost touching hers…

"Hey! Is it safe for Jasmine to start now?" Lief yelled from the other tree, breaking the moment and causing an even bigger blush to spread across Barda's face. He turned away from Lindal.

"Uh… y-yeah!" He called back, trying not to look at her. He focused on the other tree, where Jasmine was climbing onto the bar. Hands found their way underneath his shirt, latching around his waist, and he tried to force back the smile. He leant back slightly into her embrace, both understanding what the other felt with no words needed (2).

The hands disappeared as Jasmine came closer, and Barda readied himself to help her down. However, before he could even reach out for her, she jumped lightly down from the bar and flashed him a smile. Blinking in surprise, Barda turned to face Lief and signalled for him to go.

Lief was also surprised at Jasmine's agility, but he shook it out of his head for the moment and concentrated on getting on the accursed bar. He swung himself up onto it with a little trouble – he was slightly too short and had no idea how Jasmine had managed to get onto it. He began to make his way painfully slowly towards his three friends. He had only got halfway, however, when there was a problem. He felt his ankles slipping, but he could do nothing about it. Suddenly his legs dropped, and the muscles in his arms strained tightly as he clung to the bar for dear life. He tried to swing them back up, but it was useless. He was stuck.

There was a slight shake in the bar he was gripping, and a surprised yell from the tree his friends were in. Before he could turn around to see what was going on, a tan face appeared in front of him, hanging from the bar by her legs. She flashed him a grin and reached down, grabbing his ankles and guiding them back to the bar.

"J-jasmine!" Lief gasped, not believing what he was seeing.

"You can thank me later – get off this bar!" She told him as she lifted herself back up. Lief nodded and began to go along the bar once more, Jasmine following. They made it to the end without another problem, though Lief was reluctant to let go of the bar in case it happened again. Barda had to practically pull him off. He placed his arms around Lief's waist and pulled, Lief only letting go when he felt Barda's chest against his back. He turned, and stumbled, just as Lindal had, right into him.

"I'm starting to think people just can't resist me." He cracked, grinning. Lief shoved him back with a smirk and nursed the muscles in his arms. He was sure he'd pulled something. Jasmine came over and placed a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?" Lief nodded.

"Thanks, Jasmine. But… how did you?" Lindal came up beside her, and glared at her cousin.

"She ran along the bar. She saw you drop and that's it – she was off." Lindal explained. Jasmine smiled sheepishly.

"Couldn't risk you falling, now could we?" Lief smiled in agreement and gave her a hug. Behind them, Barda was already starting to climb out of the tree.

"Come on, the sooner we finish this thing, the sooner we can put it behind us." He growled. Lief smiled again. He'd known that the surprised yell had come from him. Barda may have come from parents who didn't care, but Barda sure did.

They all stood beneath the tree for a moment to catch their breath. Now, it seemed, Barda wasn't the only injured one. Lief found it difficult to lift his arms above his head, and he was shaking slightly. But he refused to stop for longer than was necessary. He was determined not to give up. Not in front of Barda, anyway. He didn't want to risk looking dumb and stupid. And so they moved on.

* * *

They stared down at the narrowest bit of wood ever, positioned over what looked to be very deep, murky water. Dark shapes flitted to and fro beneath the surface, sending a chill up Lief's spine. 

"What the hell is this? I've never seen an assault course like… this!" Lief exclaimed.

"It's strange, true… but I'm not going to stop just because this thing has a few fish in it." Barda growled, looking over the obstacle. They were lined on both sides by fast-flowing small rivers, so there was no chance of going round it. "Okay, it seems as though we have to go over the plank of wood… but it's so small I doubt even Jasmine could walk across it." He looked over it was more and saw, beneath the water, small metal poles. "You're not going to like this."

"What? What is it?" Jasmine asked, not seeing the poles beneath the water. She moved to his side and caught sight of them. "Those?"

"Afraid so. It looks like we have to put our hands into the water if we want to get across this thing. There are two metal poles beneath the surface, one on either side of the plank. I think we should put our feet on the right-hand one, and our hands on the left-hand one. It's not going to be nice, but it's the only way across. The plank is there to deceive us."

Without waiting for them to respond, Barda edged closer to the obstacle and stuck one hand in the water. He grimaced at the mucky, sticky feeling it left on his skin, but shoved his other hand in anyway. He grabbed ahold of the bar with both hands and shifted his feet onto the other one. At this moment, he was glad he was wearing large boots. He began to slide along, using the plank beneath him to rest upon every so often. His friends watched from the side, waiting to see what would happen. He had nearly got to the other side when he jerked his left hand out of the water and hissed in pain.

"What happened?" Lindal asked him.

"Something bit me. Real hard." He snarled at the water. "Okay, you have to do this quickly. I'm guessing they attack after a certain amount of time." Despite the pain in his wrist, he stuck his hand back in the water and carried on to the other side, jumping out gratefully and lying on the bare ground, clutching at his wrist.

Lief stared down at the poles, not wanting to put his hands in the water. An idea sparked in his head, and he turned to Lindal and Jasmine.

"I've got an idea that could avoid us putting our hands in the water." He said to them. "Form a line behind me. We're going to walk over the bars. We'll use each other for balance. Jasmine, you hold onto my shoulders, Lindal, hold on to Jasmine's. I'll stick my arms out for balance, and we'll walk. Got it?" They both nodded and moved to stand behind him. Slowly, Lief stepped into the water and found the first pole. Ignoring the water soaking into his shoe, he carefully stepped onto the other pole. He shuffled forward slowly, and Jasmine copied his motion. Once she was clear of the edge, they stopped to let Lindal get onto the poles. With Barda watching from the other side, they walked across very slowly, all of them wobbling precariously. But none of them wanted to go into the water, and none of them were going to let the others fall. Lief was glad when they made it to the other side. Barda glared at him.

"Couldn't you have thought of that _before_ I put my hands in that water?" He asked with a growl. He stood up and towered over Lief, who suddenly felt rather intimidated. But then Barda grinned and wiped his damp hands over Lief's shirt.

"H-hey!" Lief complained as Barda ran off, laughing. Grinning, Lief followed him. Lindal and Jasmine exchanged glances before following the two boys. They had barely turned the corner when they heard a painful shout. Speeding up, the found the boys tangled up in razor wire. Lief seemed to be okay, his legs were caught and one of his arms was bleeding, but it looked as though Barda had tripped and fallen in face-first.

"What happened to you?" Jasmine asked, moving to help Lief out of the razor wire.

"I was chasing him, and he stopped dead when he saw the razor wire, but I ran into him and well… I think you know what happened then." Lief groaned, pulling his arm free. He stuck his hands into the wire to try and free his legs, but he only ended up getting scratched more. Jasmine helped him, not caring for the painful slashes in the backs of her hands or her wrists. Lindal did the same for Barda. Once both boys were free, they sat down to inspect their wounds. Well, three of them did. Barda just lay there, blood dripping freely from his face, neck, arms and legs.

"What's with all the razor wire?" Jasmine questioned.

"Edge of the assault course. It's been there all along. Rivers and razor wire… they don't want you leaving this thing, do they?" Barda sighed, sitting up. "Come on, I think we're at the end." He stood up slowly, swaying slightly. Lindal took his arm to steady him and he smiled at her. Together, the four of them went around the razor wire and through the forest. They stopped dead – again –, however, when they saw a large tower ahead of them.

"We've made it!" Lief cried out, grinning. But Barda held up his hand for silence. Suddenly, he ran off the path and through the forest. Confused, Lief, Jasmine and Lindal followed him. They soon heard what Barda had heard before him. There was someone screaming in pain. Jasmine frowned.

"I thought I heard something, but I figured it was my imagination. It's a good thing there's someone else who has good hearing here." She said as they ran. "Whoever it is could be dying."

They soon found themselves on another assault course. Barda was standing beside a large tree, looking up. In a razor wire net up in the tree, a boy was struggling, gasping in pain as the razor wire bit into his flesh.

"H-help me!" He cried when he saw them. "My team-mates have gone on without me, with the flare gun. I'm stuck!" Barda's eyes narrowed. Then, suddenly, he climbed up the tree with record speed and jumped into the net.

"Barda!" Lief yelled, surprised. Why was Barda helping this kid? He looked up at his new friend, who was making his way towards the kid, not caring about the extra slashes he was acquiring. He dropped to his knees beside the boy and began to pull him free.

"My name's Barda, what's yours?" He asked him. He needed to distract the boy's mind from the pain.

"J-Jarred." He hissed. "Y-you're from A-amethyst, right?"

"Yeah. You're… Topaz, aren't you?" He asked, glancing at the gold sash over his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"So, where are your team-mates?"

"They went on. Anna and Sharn didn't want to leave me, but I told Endon to just go, that I'd be fine. And I was, until I fell again." Barda nodded, concentrating hard on freeing him.

"Well, just don't move okay? I'll get you free." He frowned. Their supervisors had said they would be in several key locations throughout the course, but he hadn't seen a single one of them. And there sure weren't any supervisors here.

"So, which of them is your girl?" Jarred asked, nodding at the two girls waiting with Lief at the bottom. Barda smiled.

"None. But I have my eye on the taller one, Lindal." He said to him. One of the boy's legs was free. He set to work on the other. He was aware of the stinging pain in both his knees, but he ignored it.

"You're that fancy rich kid, aren't you? The Leordo boy?" Jarred studied Barda's face as he spoke – admiring the determination in his eyes. He had no idea why he was helping him, but he was grateful. Barda smirked slightly when his other leg came free, and he turned to start on his arms.

"I guess you could say that." Jarred took in his appearance. Beyond the bloodstained skin, he was obviously a very good-looking boy. His long hair was tied back, except for a few rouge strands that hung down over his face. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue, and sparkled in the sunlight. He was a very dashing boy. Jarred became aware that he had three limbs free and his last was almost there. Grinning, Barda helped him to his feet and began to lead him out of the net. Jarred stumbled, but caught hold of Barda, who took ahold of Jarred's arms and held them around his waist to steady the boy. Jarred was grateful when they made it into the tree. "Can you climb down alright?" Jarred nodded. Barda went first, and watched as Jarred followed, his eyes on the boy's back, ready to catch him should he fall.

When they got to the bottom, Barda's friends attacked him from all sides, and he laughed. Jarred watched them with a smile. He suddenly felt really faint, and collapsed to the floor. Barda turned to him and sighed.

"He's lost a lot of blood, by the looks of things. What are we going to do?" Jasmine asked. They watched as Barda walked over to where he lay and picked him up, carrying him in his arms.

"We're going to take him to the tower." He told them. They began to walk along the path they knew would take them to the tower. When they finally emerged into the clearing, all the other teams were there, though none of them had finished successfully. Emerald had two members down, and Diamond had one. The remaining three of Topaz were equally battered and bruised, but the other boy was almost unconscious himself. Lief realized they must look an awesome sight – all covered in blood but still walking. Barda must have looked the best – the tall, creepy goth guy, blood-soaked and battered, carrying an unconscious boy from another team. All of the supervisors stared at them in shock, as did all the other kids who were conscious at the time. A woman ran over to them, and Lief recognized her from earlier. She was one of their supervisors.

"Are you all okay?" She asked them when she got to them. "You look awful."

"You would too if you had to take that course." Barda growled, pushing past her. None of them missed his painful limp, or his pain-filled eyes. They knew he must be suffering. He reached the tower and Ashton approached him.

"Why is there five of you?" He asked in wonder.

"I rescued this kid, Jarred, from a razor wire net back there. I heard him screaming and went to free him." Barda said bluntly. Ashton signalled for two women to come over, and they took Jarred from him, setting him on a stretcher.

"You didn't have to. All four of your team are here. You could have been the first back." Barda smirked.

"Could have. But I'd prefer not to have a dead boy on my conscience, thanks." Barda flicked his ponytail over one shoulder. "Not just a spoilt rich kid, am I?" With that said, he turned and limped back to his friends.(3)

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_First of all, sorry if this seems a bit fast-paced and not very detailed, but I wanted to get the assault course out of the way - and it was 9 pages long... (which is more than I usually write...)_

_(1) If anyone's ever seen Pirates Of The Caribbean 3, At World's End, you'll understand why Lindal thinks this... and after all, they're using a similar technique to get across :)_

_(2) I put this line in because in the book it's a very subtle affection, they both know it's there but they don't need to say it for the other to know. _

_(3) Woo! Go Barda! You show 'em, buddy ;)_


End file.
